According to current portfolio statistics, a Premium feature of GuruFocus, five stocks in Bridgewater Associates’ first-quarter 13F equity portfolio that have high business predictability and are trading near 52-week lows are UDR Inc. (UDR, Financial), HCA Healthcare Inc. (HCA, Financial), Universal Health Services Inc. (UHS, Financial), Stryker Corp. (SYK, Financial) and Amerco Inc. (UHAL, Financial).
Bridgewater Co-Chairman and Co-Chief Investment Officer Ray Dalio (Trades, Portfolio) said in a May 26 “Armchair Expert” podcast interview that while he caddied for two men with connections to Wall Street as a 12-year-old, he received tips on how to invest. Dalio said that he invested in shares of Northeast Airlines, “the only company” he heard of that sold for less than $5 per share at that time. The investor further added that his investment was “dumb and lucky": Delta Air Lines (DAL, Financial) acquired the Boston-based airline in August 1972. Dalio added that his successful investment in Northeast “got him hooked” and prompted him to “start learning more” at a young age.
Dalio founded the Greenwich, Connecticut-based firm in 1975. The firm’s management philosophy stems from a set of principles that Dalio developed throughout his career. Bridgewater applies a diversified approach that spans more than 150 different markets, emphasizing strategies that deliver value to its clients through any economic environment.
As of March, Bridgewater’s $24.80 billion 13F equity portfolio contains 970 stocks, with 260 new positions and a quarterly turnover ratio of 38%. Not including exchange-traded fund holdings, the firm’s top three sectors in terms of weight are consumer defensive, health care and consumer cyclical, representing 25.85%, 18.19% and 13.83% of the equity portfolio.
Investors should be aware that 13F filings do not give a complete picture of a firm’s holdings as the reports only include its positions in U.S. stocks and American depository receipts, but they can still provide valuable information. Further, the reports only reflect trades and holdings as of the most-recent portfolio filing date, which may or may not be held by the reporting firm today or even when this article was published.
UDR
Bridgewater owns 141,143 shares of UDR (UDR, Financial), up 402.25% from its fourth-quarter 2021 holding.
Shares of UDR averaged $56.75 during the first quarter. The stock is approximately 2.56% above its 52-week low and modestly undervalued based on Wednesday’s price-to-GF Value ratio of 0.91.
The Highlands Ranch, Colorado-based apartment REIT has a GF Score of 89 out of 100, driven by a rank of 10 out of 10 for growth and momentum, a profitability rank of 8 out of 10 and a GF Value rank of 7 out of 10 despite financial strength ranking just 3 out of 10. Additionally, the stock has a five-star business predictability rank.
Other gurus with holdings in UDR include Diamond Hill Capital (Trades, Portfolio) and Paul Tudor Jones (Trades, Portfolio)’ Tudor Investment Corp.
HCA Healthcare
The firm owns 389,350 shares of HCA Healthcare (HCA, Financial), up 24.45% from the previous quarter's holding.
Shares of HCA averaged $251.10 during the first quarter. The stock is approximately 3.38% above its 52-week low and fairly valued based on Wednesday’s price-to-GF Value ratio of 1.04.
The Nashville-based health care company has a GF Score of 93 out of 100, driven by a rank of 10 out of 10 for profitability, growth and momentum despite financial strength and GF Value ranking just between 4 and 5 out of 10.
HCA Healthcare’s profitability ranks 10 out of 10 on several positive investing signs, which include a five-star business predictability rank, a high Piotroski F-score of 8 and an operating margin that has increased approximately 1.5% per year on average over the past five years and outperforms more than 80% of global competitors.
Universal Health Services
Bridgewater owns 108,829 shares of Universal Health Services (UHS, Financial), up 29.82% from the prior-quarter holding.
Shares of Universal Health Services averaged $138.17 during the first quarter. The stock is approximately 3.41% above its 52-week low and modestly undervalued based on Wednesday’s price-to-GF Value ratio of 0.73.
The King of Prussia, Pennsylvania-based hospital care company has a GF Score of 94 out of 100, driven by a growth rank of 10 out of 10, a profitability rank of 9 out of 10 and a rank of 8 out of 10 for GF Value and momentum despite financial strength ranking just 5 out of 10.
Universal Health Services’ positive investing signs include a five-star business predictability rank and gross profit margins that are outperforming more than 93% of global competitors.
Stryker
The firm owns 552,227 shares of Stryker (SYK, Financial), up 33.66% from the prior-quarter holding.
Shares of Stryker averaged $258.74 during the first quarter. The stock is approximately 2.32% above its 52-week high and modestly undervalued based on Wednesday’s price-to-GF Value ratio of 0.85.
The Kalamazoo, Michigan-based medical equipment company has a GF Score of 94 out of 100, driven by a rank of 10 out of 10 for growth and momentum and a rank of 9 out of 10 for profitability and GF Value despite financial strength ranking just 4 out of 10.
Stryker’s business predictability ranks 4.5 stars out of five.
Amerco
The firm owns 5,172 shares of Amerco (UHAL, Financial), down 27.44% from the prior-quarter holding.
Shares of Amerco averaged $616.93 during the first quarter. The stock is approximately 3.71% above its 52-week low and modestly undervalued based on Wednesday’s price-to-GF Value ratio of 0.81.
The Reno, Nevada-based rental truck company has a GF Score of 96 out of 100, driven by a rank of 10 out of 10 for profitability, growth and GF Value despite momentum ranking just 7 out of 10 and financial strength ranking just 5 out of 10.
The stock’s business predictability ranks 4.5 stars out of five.
